The guns are back in Tigray, and now a town that once changed hands during Ethiopia’s brutal civil war is back at the centre of the fighting. Ethiopia’s military and allied forces say they have taken control of Alamata, a strategic town about 120 kilometres south of the regional capital, Mekelle.
Ethiopian pro-government forces, including the national army and allied militias, reportedly captured Alamata, a strategically important town in southern Tigray, on September 28. Reuters reported that the claim was supported by video evidence and diplomatic sources.
Alamata lies about 120 kilometres south of Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, and serves as an important supply hub near the Amhara region. Its capture could give federal forces a strategic position as they seek to push further toward Mekelle.
The development comes after fighting erupted again in northern Ethiopia , following months of rising tensions between federal forces and Tigrayan forces. The renewed clashes have effectively put the 2022 Pretoria peace agreement, which ended the 2020–2022 Tigray war, under severe strain.
Tigrayan forces had recently seized several airports, including those in Mekelle, Aksum and Shire, according to conflict-monitoring organisation ACLED. Fighting has since spread along several fronts involving Tigrayan forces, Ethiopian federal troops and allied forces.
The humanitarian situation is also deteriorating. Médecins Sans Frontières reported that more than 700 people wounded in the renewed fighting had reached hospitals in Tigray since September 22, highlighting the growing civilian cost of the escalation.
The latest fighting is also raising fears of a wider regional crisis. Ethiopia’s army chief has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of supporting armed groups fighting the government, allegations that have been disputed by the countries involved.
The reported capture of Alamata therefore marks more than a battlefield development , it places a strategically important town back at the centre of Ethiopia’s rapidly escalating conflict, just four years after the country endured one of Africa’s deadliest recent wars.
